FENCE POSTS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3036, 19 March 1881, Page 3

FENCE POSTS.

The sap of moisture goes up in the sap oE "wood from the roots to the leaves of the trees. I found if the butt end down the pores are open upward and water can go up and thuß keep the post moist between wind and water, which must cause a rapid decay. It appeared probable that the pores were open only upward and not downward in a tree. To test this I cut a smnll maple sapling (two inches through) in May, leaving the limbs all on, and placed tho butt end in a pail of brine, In 36 hours the leaves ■were saturated with this brine, the taste of the salt being very strong. At the same time I had cut another maple sapling and cut off the top branch, leaving the rest of the limbs on. After winding a cloth around the butt end, to prevent evaporation, I placed the top end in a pale of brine and allowed it to remain several clays, but no brine had been absobed at the top end. It had not penetrated the pores as far as the end was immersed in the brine, for if the bark •was scraped there was not the slightest taste of salt to be found. This being tho case in the green tree, how much must the pores of the dry tree be closed from the downward ? I have tried many similar experiments, and think the question settled that if a post is placed top end down, no moisture can ascend from the bottom of the hole up the post to rot it • but when the but end is down the moisture can ascend the pores very rapidly if green, and slowly if dry. Seasoned posts are found to last much longer, because tho pores are more or less filled within the seasoned wood. I should also infer that placing the top end down would make more difference in a green than in a dry post. In pursuance of the fact that the pores of green timber have been often saturated with different solutions to preserve if, by immersing the butt end freshly cut, in the solution to be absorbed, it will be also noted that burning or charring the posts only closes the pores and prevents the absorption of water. —Builder and Woodworker.